CJP's Dipke visits Balaghat villages hit by child deaths, seeks accountability

Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) convenor Abhijit Dipke visited tribal villages in Madhya Pradesh's Balaghat district on Saturday to meet families who had recently lost children to infectious diseases, and demanded that the administration be held accountable.

Accompanied by local youth, Mr. Dipke travelled to Adori, Korka and Bondari villages, where he gathered information on the healthcare facilities available locally and the circumstances in which the children died.

His visit came days after the Jabalpur Bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court issued notices to the State government over the deaths of more than 30 children, allegedly from infectious diseases. A Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice Vivek Rusia and Justice Pradeep Mittal issued the notices to the State Health Department, the Women and Child Development Department, the Balaghat Collector and others while hearing a public interest litigation.

The PIL alleged that children were not receiving adequate treatment, and that around 400 children were being treated at a hospital with a capacity of 50 beds. It also claimed that yellow-coloured water was coming from handpumps in the affected areas, and that children and women had not received nutritious food on time for several months.

Speaking to reporters, Mr. Dipke said, "We completely sympathise with families who have lost their children and will definitely come forward to ensure justice for them." He questioned the administration's inaction, saying that while the authorities had accepted the number of deaths, no responsibility had been fixed and no official had been proceeded against.

"We have come only to fix responsibility and accountability," he said.